After a person has been weightlifting, powerlifting, or bodybuilding for some time it is easy to to get sloppy, or the new lifter needs to get started on the right foot, here are a few tips to keep you on track. In bodybuilding, it is easy to lose sight of the fundamentals and get caught up in the nitty-gritty details you read about in the magazines all the time. Time for a little checklist of Do's and Don'ts to make sure you are on track!
DO:
1. Be consistent. Hit-and-run doesn't work - you have to stick to your program and do your best every single workout. Try to make some kind of improvement every time you go to the gym.
2. Stick to the basics. Deadlifts, dumbbell presses, chins, squats, military presses and heavy bicep curls will never go out of style.
3. Allow yourself enough time to recover between workouts. Be sure to watch for signs of overtraining.
4. Eat plenty of high-quality food. Your diet should consist primarily of rice, pasta, oatmeal, vegetables, chicken, lean beef, tuna, and other staple foods of bodybuilders.
5. Sleep at least 8 hours per night. You need this time to recover as well as benefit from the natural boost of natural growth hormone that occurs during REM-sleep.
DON'T:
1. Avoid getting stuck in a rut. Doing the same things with the same exercises month after month will not challenge you. The difference between sticking to a program and being stuck in a rut is whether you change things around and make progress or not.
2. Substituting good food with supplements is a bad idea. Supplements are great for giving you an edge, and perhaps help you get the nutrition you need when on the go sometimes, but it can never take the place of real food. Plan your diet around solid meals, and use the supplements to cover pick up the slack in-between.
3. Never ignore budding injuries or signs of overtraining. Be sure to rest and/or talk to a doctor if you experience stubborn joint pain or similar symptoms.
4. Don't let what you read in the magazines get to you. If some juiced-up pro says he does dozens of sets for biceps, that doesn't mean you have to. If your experience tells you that 6 sets are enough, stick to it. Listen to your body.
5. Last but not least, don't lose sight of the big picture. Even if you may be on a plateau and motivation is low right now, there's only one way to beat it - by trying harder and training smarter. The reward will come when you get off the plateau and start making progress again. A positive attitude is everything.
2 comments:
Hey i am 14 and i am very confused about all these websites i plan to one day go proffessional without the use of steroids and need to know the best possible way to do it if you have any tips at all please tell me
There is lots of info on the web and that makes it easy to get confused. It is nice to see that you are reading lots and getting yourself informed.
I am glad to hear you have made a choice to stay away from steroids. Every drug has a side effect, some are irreversible can can be deadly.
Stay away from the mainstream magazines, the people they put in those things all take drugs and a natural competitor can not do the same work.
Knowing who to trust is difficult. Being young you have many years of lifting ahead of you so there is no need to rush things. Make sure you are having fun and enjoying your workouts. Stay away from anyone who tells you that yo can get instant results. It takes time to add lean mass.
Not everyone with credentials knows what they are doing and not all who lack them are clueless, this makes trusting all the more difficult.
No matter the certification stay away from anyone that is trying to promote a fad. there are plenty out there now, people call themselves functional trainers, there is the 300 workout, kettle bells, the list goes on. If someone tries to push a system on you stay away.
Look for people who teach and practice the traditional lifts like squat, deadlift, bench. As a bodybuilder you may not be too interested in Olympic lifting, what you will want is compound movements that you can load lots of weight to. Save the isolation exercises like tricep kickbacks until later down the road when you feel you need to emphasize a body part for competition.
Hope this helps a little,let me know how things go
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